Unbreakable
by AiredaleLady
Summary: What were Fred, Velma, Daphne and Shaggy thinking after the untimely break-up of Mystery Inc? A fill in to the


UNBREAKABLE

__

A tag to the live action "Scooby-Doo" movie, set immediately after the break up.

Velma fumbled with her keys in the door, trying to keep her emotions in check as she walked into her house. What had started out as a simple case about a haunted toy factory had ultimately ended in the worst fight the young girl had ever experienced. And while she knew that the gang drew its strength from everyone's differences, she had never imagined that these differences would ultimately lead to the break up of the group. 

The sounds of the late night news emanated from the living room, where Harold and Marilyn Dinkley had congregated to wait for their daughter's return. Hearing the click of the front door, Marilyn looked up from the novel she had been reading. "Hello, dear," she called, cheerfully. "How was your night?" 

Velma chose not to respond. 

The young girl's actions, coupled with maternal instinct, told Marilyn that something was terribly wrong. Ordinarily, Velma would enter the living room and describe every detail of her most recent adventure with Mystery Inc, but this time, she chose not to, heading instead for the stairs, keeping her head down to avert her parents' gaze. 

Pulling herself up from the sofa, Mrs. Dinkley managed to intercept her daughter before she headed up the stairs. "Velma," she asked, a tinge of worry detectable in her voice, "sweetheart, what's the matter?"

The young girl could restrain her emotions no longer. "I just had a terrible fight with my best friends," she sobbed, "and it was all my fault." Following her terse explanation, Velma ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her. She threw herself onto her bed, buried her face in the pillow and started sobbing uncontrollably. 

* * * * * * * * * *

__

I am not ditzy, and I am not danger prone. The redhead repeated the words over-and-over, like a mantra, as she walked up to the front gate of her parents' mansion. _It's all the fault of that egomaniac, Fred Jones. If he hadn't told me that was nothing more than 'pretty, but helpless,' I would never have gotten into that argument with Velma._ A momentary smile played across Daphne's lips as she recalled the number of times she had fallen through trap doors, only to be rescued by the handsome, blond leader. The smile widened as she admitted that sometimes, she would _deliberately_ step into a trap so that she could be rescued. The gang always teased her about her clumsiness, but it was always a good-natured teasing, fun teasing…at least until that night. 

The redhead tried to sort through her conflicting feelings; she was angry with her 'friends', yet sad about the break-up. She was disgusted with Fred and Velma, but at the same time, nostalgic for the times that they had spent together. Unable to reconcile her emotions, Daphne stared up at the night sky and screamed, her voice echoing into the distance. 

The sound of the scream brought George and Elizabeth Blake running to the front door. "Honeydew," her father asked, still in the midst of tying his bathrobe, "good gracious, what is the matter?" 

The redhead stormed into the house. "I am just so…so…pissed off at Fred and Velma; I can't believe what they did to me!"

Elizabeth had never heard her daughter use vulgar language before, but she could tell from the girl's choice of words and tone of voice that whatever had happened must have been traumatic.

* * * * * * * * * *

Fred Jones wandered aimlessly through the empty streets, heading nowhere in particular. Unlike his ex-cohorts,Daphne and Velma, the blond man harbored no anger or disgust against anyone other than himself. _Okay, so, Mystery Inc. has officially disbanded;_ he thought to himself. _It was inevitable; but even if we hadn't, I don't think those two girls could get along without me. Who could possibly be the leader of the group? Certainly not Shaggy, that's for sure!_ He grinned as he tried to picture the skinny, cowardly hippie assuming leadership of the group. _The guy is nice enough,_ Fred thought to himself, _but he just doesn't have what it takes to be a leader…like I do. _

The blond man's thoughts were interrupted by a voice from deep in his subconscious mind. _Frederick Jones, how DARE you make such a statement about your friend? The girls had always warned you about being too much of a dictator and hogging the spotlight, and now, your own selfishness has caused you to lose your three closest friends. _The thought jarred him awake, and Fred slowly began to realize that his own ego had, in large part, contributed to that fight. 

As he approached his front doorstep, a motion sensor on the porch automatically turned on the light. In the light, he could see the figures inside the house, silhouetted against the window, but had no desire to enter the house. Frederick, is that you? He heard a voice call, but the blond man had no desire to face his family at the moment, choosing instead to walk around the side of house and to the back porch. He settled down on the porch swing and stared aimlessly at the starry sky, silently cursing the two divergent sides of his personality. 

* * * * * * * * * * 

Up in her room, Daphne Blake stuck her head out the window and stared at the night sky. _Velma and I used to do this all the time when we were little_,she mused, remembering how the younger girl would look up at the sky and identify almost every major constellation. _She was so smart_, the redhead recalled, _too bad she wasn't smart enough to stop this fight…and to keep her mouth shut._

Daphne's conscience began to chide her for thinking about Velma in such a deprecatory manner. _How can you say such a thing about her? She's still your friend, no matter what you might think. _

The redhead slapped herself, ignoring her conscience. "I don't owe that girl anything," she said aloud, to no one in particular. "And I am not ditzy, and I am not danger prone, and I am CERTAINLY not helpless!" 

Daphne pulled her head back inside and closed the window. The break up of Mystery Inc. was a chance for her to prove to the world that there was more to Daphne Blake than just a superficial, fashion fanatic. It was her chance to prove that she had a brain and brawn, in addition to her beauty. 

The redhead crawled into bed, but sleep did not come to her. She lay awake, trying to reckon with her own thoughts. One part of her mind was convinced that she never wanted to see Fred, Velma or Shaggy ever again, but another part of her mind kept saying that it was almost physically impossible to keep the gang apart. _Maybe they'll be impressed with the new me,_ she thought to herself. _If I ever see them again, that is._

* * * * * * * * * *

The lights had gone out inside the house, but Fred Jones was still seated on the front porch swing; he enjoyed the solitude and the silence. The voices in his conscience, however, were anything but silent.

__

Velma and Daphne revered you as the calm, level- headed leader, not as the impulsive egomaniac that you have become. 

Fred shook his head, physically trying to dispel the thought. **I'm not an egomaniac, he said to himself. **I can't help it if everyone looked up to me. I just have a personality, class, and charisma. I was the most popular guy in my high school. 

__

What does that matter, now? You're out of high school, and whether you were popular or not doesn't mean jack to the rest of the world. If anything, it was your popularity that turned you into that egomaniac. 

For a moment, Fred's rational mind came back. He had always wanted to be a writer, and this was his chance to capitalize on his own popularity while realizing his dream at the same time. _A book_, he thought to himself. _A detailed account of every adventure I'd ever had with Mystery Inc…told from my perspective._ He grinned at the idea. _Yes,_ he thought. _That would bring me more popularity._

The opposing side of his conscience spoke to him yet again. **_Fame, fortune? Is that all you want? You'd give up the most precious thing in the world—your friends—just for a moment in the spotlight? If that's the case, then you have got a lot to learn, and you won't learn this lesson from your family either. No, you'll be taught by the strictest teacher of all—your life, and society. _

**If I write that book, maybe Daph, Vel and Shaggy would be in awe of me even more than they already are, he thought to himself. That is, if I ever see them again. 

Fred walked around to the front, unlocked the door and walked upstairs to his room. Climbing into bed, he felt a lump developing in his throat. _What have I done?_ he though to himself. _And how could I have been so foolish?_ He lay in bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time. "Velma, Daphne," he said, out loud. "Can you ever forgive me?" The blond man knew it was silly to call for them, but somehow, he knew that they would find their way back to each other. 

* * * * * * * * * *

The doorbell rang, but Velma Dinkley had no desire to come down and see who it was. _It's 11:30 at night_, she reasoned. _If anyone asks, I'm sleeping. _She re-analyzed the logic of her last thought. Who _would_ be coming to see her at that hour of the night anyway? Though she dismissed her unsound reasoning as a by-product of her emotional state, her innate curiosity drove her to find out the identity of the mysterious visitor. She cracked open her door and listened, surreptitiously to her mother's announcement. 

"Norville! What a surprise! Please, do come inside."

The skinny man walked through the door. "Thanks man. Hey, uh, is Velma around?"

Marilyn Dinkley hesitated before answering the man's question. "She is, but I do not believe that she is receiving any visitors at the moment." 

__

No! Mother! I am, and I do want to talk to him. Velma flung the door open and ran to the second floor landing. "Shaggy?" she breathed, leaning over the railing to confirm the identity of the visitor. 

Shaggy Rogers glanced up and made eye contact with the brown haired girl. "Vel, like, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Overjoyed that at least one member of the group was not mad at her, Velma headed slowly down the stairs to greet the skinny man. Throwing her arms around him, she began crying, softly, leaning against his chest for support. 

Shaggy instinctively detected her need for compassion, and pulled the bespectacled girl closer to him. He looked at her, sympathetically. "Hey, man," he asked, "like what's wrong?" 

"Just everything," Velma sobbed. "Everything that happened tonight. I thought that we were going to be friends forever, and instead, we end up splitting apart over some stupid argument that would never have happened if I hadn't wanted to jump into the spotlight." She paused and wiped her eyes. "Now, we're probably never going to talk to Fred or Daphne ever again, " she sniffled. "And it's all my fault." 

Shaggy pondered her comment, pausing for a long time, before speaking. "Y'know, Vel," he began. "You're into science, right? You know what they say about, like, certain…atomic bonds?" 

The bespectacled girl nodded. The skinny man was not one to talk about much other than food, and Velma was somewhat bewildered as to why he would choose to mention a topic as complex as chemistry. 

"Well, these bonds, certain ones, you know…are… like…unbreakable." Shaggy struggled with his speech, trying to speak articulately on a topic about which he knew almost nothing. Marilyn Dinkley was equally confused by the young man's speech, but instinctively, she knew that he did have a point to make, and was most likely trying to put it in a context that Velma and her family could understand. 

"And that's like, the way we are," continued Shaggy. "We share a very special bond…" The skinny man trailed off, aware of his lack of knowledge on the topic, and fully expecting Velma and her parents to laugh at his actions and overly simplistic reasoning; but they didn't laugh. There was a certain quality to this analogy that defied its seeming simplicity, and the younger girl recognized that quality in her friend's speech. 

Marilyn looked at the skinny man, somewhat amazed at the depth of his philosophy. "Velma," she began. "Shaggy has a valid point. That bond that you share with him, Fred and Daphne is very special, and very strong, too. And like certain bonds in nature, it can be broken, changed or bent, but it can never be shattered or destroyed." 

Mrs. Dinkley gave her daughter a pop-quiz. "And what happens to these chemical bonds when they undergo structural changes? Do they reform immediately?" 

Velma shook her head.

"Well, that's how it will be with your friends," continued Marilyn. "It may take awhile, but one day, you will find your way back to each other, and that bond will reform." She posed another question to her daughter. "Velma, when the city of Rome was burned to the ground, what did its citizens vow to do?"

"Rebuild."

"Yes, And what did they say about their new city?" 

"That it would be greater than before."

Her mother nodded. "Exactly. That which is destroyed and reformed always returns stronger than it had been in its previous state; and the same goes for you and your friends." 

Shaggy's eyes widened as he listened to Marilyn's speech. "Oh man, like that was deep!" 

* * * * * * * * * *

Harold and Marilyn had gone to sleep, leaving their daughter alone with Shaggy. Velma looked at the skinny man, a trace of sorrow detectable in her dark, brown eyes. "So, what are you going to be doing, now?" she asked, curiously. 

Shaggy shrugged. "Like, Scoob and I are just gonna hit the road, I guess. I got a buddy out in California who I haven't seen in awhile, I was thinking of going there." He paused for a moment. "What about you, Vel?"

The younger girl confessed that she didn't quite know either. "My father knows someone at NASA who is looking for a research assistant, so I'll be contacting him." She paused, and threw her arms around Shaggy's skinny neck. "I'm going to miss you, Shag," she said, choking back tears. 

Shaggy returned the gesture. "Like, I'll miss you too, Vel." 

Velma looked her friend in the eyes. "Do you think we'll ever see each other again, I mean, all of us?" 

The skinny man nodded. "Hey, it's that bond, man. It can be broken, or bent, but it can never be, like, shattered or destroyed." He smiled at Velma, and hugged her. "See you, Vel," he whispered as he walked back out to the van. 

Velma watched as the van puled away from the curb, fighting back tears. A part of her life had just ended, and she had no idea what lay ahead for her or her former friends. She fell asleep that night, wondering just how long it would be before the bond between her and her friends among would begin to reform. 


End file.
